COLUMBUS, Ohio — Far-fetched ideas are known to cross the mind of Steele'sMeighan Simmons every so often, as one did Monday night.

Then, after taking second place in the 3-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All-American Game, Simmons turned to her father, Wayne, with her latest offering.

“Even though I didn't win, maybe I might get MVP (in the game),” she told him.

“That,” her dad responded, “would be crazy.”

Yet just like seemingly everything else the senior has set her mind on over the years, the fanciful goal proved oh-so-doable.

Simmons, a reserve in Wednesday's McDonald's All-American Game, walked away with co-Most Valuable Player honors after scoring a game-high 21 points to lead the West to an 84-75 victory at Ohio State's Value City Arena.

The award joins countless other items — such as setting the city's career scoring mark and signing with Tennessee — to get checked off on Simmons' heavily scribbled-on to-do list.

“It's a blessing to actually get MVP at an event like this,” said Simmons, who is believed to join Shaquille O'Neal as the only San Antonio area players to compete in the elite game. “I wasn't going out there to work for that. I wanted to come here and just have fun.”

Simmons, named MVP of the West squad despite playing the second-fewest minutes (14) of all West players, shot 7 of 15 from the floor and went 6 for 6 at the foul line.

She had a game-high 10 points at the break after missing her first three shots, but it was her work down the stretch that was most impressive.

Having sat out most of the second half, Simmons re-entered the game with 3:45 left when the West's 22-point lead dwindled to nine.

She scored 11 points during the next three minutes, including a reverse layup and a sequence that had fans oohing and aahing.

After getting a steal near midcourt, Simmons hopped on one leg down the sideline to keep her dribble before pulling up for a 3-pointer from along the wing to push the West's lead back to 12 with 1:36 left.

Such a display came as little surprise to Houston Cypress-Fairbanks' Chiney Ogwumike, one of five Texas players on the West squad.

“Throughout the summer, we saw each other at tournaments, and I even met her family,” Ogwumike said. “I just think that her performance tonight really shows what a good family, traditional values, hard work, ethics, academic and athletic excellence can produce.”

Afterward, Simmons said the most memorable part of the experience wasn't the game itself but the time she spent beforehand visiting with sick children at the Ronald McDonald House.

“After experiencing this,” Simmons said, “I think it'd be really good for me to start a charity once I get out of college.”

Wednesday showed what Simmons can achieve when she sets her mind on something.